A variety of medical procedures are performed to provide support to portions of a body of a patient. For example, some medical procedures are performed to treat various female pelvic dysfunctions, including procedures to treat urinary incontinence, and correcting various prolapse conditions such as uterine prolapse, cystoceles, rectoceles, and vaginal vault prolapse.
Some such medical procedures have included placing implants within the pelvic region of the patient. Some of the implants are delivered to the pelvic region of the patient through one or more vaginal incisions, and/or through exterior incisions in the patient.
Often such implants are delivered or placed within the body of the patient using an insertion or delivery tool. The insertion tools used to deliver the implants within a body of a patient typically include a curved portion and a sharp needle or point at one end. Some of the insertion tools used to deliver the implants are uncontrollable and can deviate from the desired direction during the implantation process.
Accordingly, complications, such as inadvertent nerve, bladder, or uretheral punctures can occur during the implantation process. Such complications can also occur if the shape or curvature of the insertion tool is inappropriate for delivering the implant to the desired location within the body of the patient. To avoid such complications, some insertion tools use utilize a needle guide to guide the insertion tool away from organs during the implantation procedure. Additionally, in some procedures, some insertion tools must be swept (causing unintended blunt dissection with the side of the needle of the insertion tool) to direct the curved shaft of the insertion tool around or about the ischio-pubic ramus bone without causing damage to the lateral nerves or vessels.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an insertion tool that may be used to deliver an implant to a location within a body of a patient without damaging adjacent nerves or organs.